CHAPTER SIX

Put Her Close!

Juma firmly decided to start an underground information digging on Stephany, whom he recognizes as Stella to calm his already crazing mind.

If he could just sit back and relax to enjoy this show, he might surely go crazy. Coincidences like these were not real and his mind won't rest unless there is a strong concrete conclusion to answer whatever is going on.

What exactly made 'Stella' different? And why her only among all the other females he had ever met? Another thing, he can even remember her name clearly and at the parking lot, he had fawn incompetence to see her reaction.

Even his actions were now making him go crazy with emerging questions being left unanswered.

'Maybe I really am crazy' he thought to himself.

Desmond took in a long breathe followed by a sigh.

"Are you sure you want to investigate about her without informing anyone? What if she knows? One day she knows, what will you do?" Desmond asked with concern.

"She will and can never know. More ever, she is my employee and I have the right to do a background check on her," Juma argued giving a reason of his own.

He was the boss, she was the employee, how can it be illegal?

"I just feel that everything is weird and so unreal. And the fact that she is from your country might mean she has some relation to your childhood or youth days. The truth always is scary than what we think," Desmond tried to persuade with him.

From what he saw, he had a feeling that Doctor Rajab's choice of sending his friend back to where he spent his childhood and youth was a smart move.

And he as much as anyone else close to Juma wanted him to recover and be normal even though he never saw him back when he was normal. Need to see him so again will be the wish of everyone in his position.

"I have decided. Just help man. You know how it means to me and I really don't want to go crazy but her actions and my strange inactions are already driving me crazy. Let's do this, will just know of where her hometown is and friends, then go bit by bit from there. What do you think?" Juma asked reassuringly.

Desmond understood his friend and did not talk anymore only nodding to reassure him on doing what he will do and said his good-byes before Juma ended the call.

Juma looked at the bathroom and went back to the bedroom. He walked out of the room and strode to the other two doors at the far end. They were the guest rooms. The first one was to an adaptable preference of his and he was as surprised much, took the pictures and even a video of the room.

When he walked into the seconds one, he was confused at first but recovered quickly.

"It seems like this was the original design of this house", he said nodding in agreement.

He was now sure that there's more to Stella than meets the eye. He took the pictures and went to the wall wardrobe. Opening it he found the folded curtains, beddings and carpets. They all matched the ones in this room and the curtain he had removed from the study room window.

He recorded the wardrobe video too and sent the findings to Desmond and his doctor, Rajab Khan.

Even though the room was arranged the way he would want it to be, the material's and items never matched his preference at all. And from the arrangements he knew that everything in this room were the items from the other room after being replaced, Stella had brought them here.

Even if he was a fool, he would know that this as no coincidence. He dialed his doctor's number and as it rang he walked through the corridor to the stairs downstairs.

When the phone stopped ringing, a voice like of an elderly man and with the Indian accent was heard from was heard from the other end. He cleared his voice and said,

"How are you my boy?" he asked.

"I am fine just found something interesting", Juma said.

"Is it from the picture and videos I have just received? I was almost calling you just now" doctor Khan asked and stated.

"Yes Professor Khan. I have arrived and already in the house. I met this lady today who happens to be my personal assistant and secretary this time," Juma went straight to his reason of calling him.

"Okay," doctor Khan said in expectation of the rest of the story.

"The thing is, I was able to remember her name, a name I had just read once and when she bumped on me, my body did not react as it always did. I wasn't even mad and I kind of felt like she could just lean on me and nothing will happen," Juma went on explaining and told him a brief story of his encounter with Stephany from the airport and even at the car just at the parking lot when he had been asleep.

"Interesting," doctor Khan said after clearing his voice.

"And after all that, what's more intriguing and confusing about her is the fact that she was able to cleaned and rearrange and decorate the house in accordance to my preference. Something you remember even my mom couldn't do the first time I left the hospital and that's why I had moved out," Juma went on trying to explain everything clearly to give doctor Khan an easy task of knowing what is going on.

It did not bother him of how anxious he sounded. This was a matter concerning his health.

"Oh yes! I remember. So what is the worry, her being able to know your preference of style or you not being allergic to her as one of the opposite sex?" Khan asked.

"Both! Is it that I can talk to all my female employees in my home country or only her and why?"

"This, I really can't speculate much because you have only been in contact with her alone and not another so I will still need your help to confirm if it's only her or the other females there. If you can get the same reaction as her, then we will have to run some test to know what exactly was wrong with the others or if it's a psychological issue"

"But if not?" Juma asked the obvious question.

"If not, you will have to keep her close to you and maybe, say maybe, she will be the one who could be able to cure you" doctor Khan said.

If what Juma had said was true, being allergic to other females and not 'Stella' then the only option he had was to interact with her more.

"Keep her close like with me? I don't know" Juma shook his head.

"What, is she irritating?" doctor Khan asked inquiringly.

"Not!"

"That was a quick reply" Khan sounded his reply like a tease.

"I...I mean I just find her interesting but being with her everyday, I don't think I can handle it. Especially, I still doesn't know if she is the only one am not allergic to yet," he was quick to explain, something that left him in wonder again.

When did he ever try explaining his actions towards a woman like this?

"Don't you feel strange now of your behavior when she is involved?" Khan asked.

He had told him the story without leaving anything out and Khan was surprised too with his non reaction and change of behavior.

"I don't know what I know is that I can really do petty things to her like how I exerted pressure on her hand knowing that she really was going to be mad. I just wanted to know if am hallucinating, dreaming or really living it"

"You were never someone who explains his actions"

"I... wha ..." he felt in lack for words were stuck in his mouth and he couldn't think of any thing reasonable.

"I say my boy, just consider being with her up close. You will surely think of something considering you are her boss. And didn't you want to investigate on her?"

"How did you know, wait a minute..."

"Desmond is always concerned about you and know you are the little brother he never had. Moreso didn't you nickname him your mom, the one you can meet always without having reactions to or hiding away from with no reason?" Khan explained.

Desmond and Juma's relationship was the best brothers in the world it had far surpassed friendship bros.

Juma was just finding it hard to imagine being close with the opposite sex. In real sense his situation could be explained as being afraid.

Afraid he might build hopes and end up counting unhatched eggs. Afraid he might find out something from her that he won't be able to accept.

Desmond had said easier that the truth sometimes is scary. So, he was a human being and he was able to be scared.

How many years had passed? How can he just find someone who could help him on his first day here? Is he living in a fantasy novel?

"On the other hand, you can take it as keeping her close to investigate more about her. Then her being your personal assistant, you can tell her you are keeping her close to be available every time you need her, you are a smart guy, you will think of a reason. Just remember the main reason you came there is to find the source of your problem and she might be the only one who can help you as you get cured, you will definitely find something" Khan continued.

He was also one of the people who really wanted to see the not sick Juma. The one who will walk shoulder high and proud not because he has a problem but because he is confident with himself and have a good health.

"Keep her close", Juma muttered softly.

"Yes, this might be the only way especially if you find out she is the only woman who can be close to you", Khan replied to his muttering.